


Christmas Eve will Find Me...and so will Everyone Else

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Drama, F/M, Friendship, Holidays, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 11:08:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5537636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yes she was one of those parents who dressed her child festively for the holidays.  Earlier Liv even managed to get pictures of him in reindeer antlers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas Eve will Find Me...and so will Everyone Else

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for untapdtreasure in the SVU Secret Santa on Tumblr. Two of her prompts were mistletoe and first kiss so I decided to write an unconventional story to get them there.

** SUNDAY **

Olivia put the shopping bag in the bottom of the stroller and rolled it out of the store. There was a lot of traffic in the Manhattan Mall, one of the reasons she never went there. But it was a rather nice Sunday afternoon in December so it was good for Noah to get out of the house. He was content to be chauffeured around, enjoying some soy milk and the view. If the line for Santa wasn’t too long, Liv planned to see if he would sit for a picture with the Christmas icon.

“Olivia! Hey, Olivia!”

She stopped walking, turning around in the direction of the voice. She gasped and then smiled.

“Oh my god, Jackson!”

“Hey there.” He smiled too.

Olivia threw her arms around him, not really thinking about decorum. It was always good to see him; something she didn’t do often enough.

“It’s great to see you.” She said.

“You too. I didn’t even want to come to the mall today but something in me told me to. I came to pick up some glasses.”

“I came to get a few blouses for a friend. Wow, you look so good.”

“You look better.” Jackson Zane said.

“Stop.”

“No seriously, woman, do you age? With the work you do you should look like Robert Loggia by now from the stress.”

Liv laughed out loud. That was Jackson, saying whatever came to mind first and thinking about the implication later. She looked just a sight better than Robert Loggia, wearing very little makeup, jeans, and an army green hoodie.

“I thought you were in Toronto.” She said.

“I was there for a few years, writing about immigrant issues and not always being the best ally, even when I had the best intentions. I probably learned more at Globe and Mail than I ever could at the Ledger. I got another offer here, I'm writing for a media blog called New York and the World. It’s been around a few years…has a devoted following. I'm doing politics, investigative work; just all around getting on people’s nerves.”

“So nothing has changed?” Liv asked smiling.

“In some aspects, not at all. I see things have changed for you. You're a mom now; let me get a look at this kid.” He crouched down in front of Noah’s stroller. “Hey, little guy. High five.”

Noah looked at him and quickly went back to not paying attention to him at all.

“I see he gets his regard for me directly from his mother.” Jackson stood up again. 

“Stop it, that’s not true. Noah is more of an observer than a speaker right now.”

“He's cute. Are you married?”

“Are you offering?” Liv countered.

“I couldn’t keep up with you. I realize that now. I always wanted to believe you couldn’t keep up with me but that was just my pride. Do you know I still have every note you sent me? Every Christmas card and birthday card? 

“I keep them in a box and I always keep it in a safe place. When I'm feeling low, I reread them. It reminds me that there are just people in this world who are good. Even when everything else sucks, they're still good.”

“It was my fault you went to jail.”

“I went to jail to protect the freedom of the press, Olivia. I have done some insane things in my time to impress beautiful women but going to jail…that wasn’t one of them. I'm glad to be out though. Those three years were tough but without some good people on my side it would've been even longer. I'm glad that my integrity, and your job, remained intact. I don’t even have to ask if you're still a cop.”

“No, you don’t.” she shook her head.

“Damn, it is so good to see you. We need to go out, have some beers, and catch up on things. I know the end of the year is always insane but we should make plans for January. Here,” Jackson pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket. “Take my number.”

Liv pulled out her phone as well. She put the numbers in as he said them aloud and then his phone rang. 

“Hello?” he held it up to his ear.

“Cute.” She typed his name into her contacts. “I would definitely love to get together and catch up.”

“I want many adventures of Olivia Benson saving the world so gather them up before I see you. I'm gonna run now but have a wonderful Christmas Liv.”

“You too, Jackson.” She hugged him again. 

Could it be possible that he still wore CKBe? Leave it to Jackson to want to smell like he always smelled. It took her back to their first meeting; a kidnap case, Hurricane Katrina and then anthrax. It was one of the strangest cases SVU had and that was saying something. He really had sacrificed so much to tell the world what was going on. He was nothing more than a glorified tabloid journalist and seemed content in it. That story changed his life, and Liv’s.

“See ya.” He kissed her cheek.

She watched him walk off, looking down at his name still on the face of her phone. One encounter between strangers really could change so much. She was happy to know that he was alright; he looked good and was still doing good work. Catching up would be great especially if he was back in the city. It had been almost a decade since they met and seven years since he was released from jail. Smiling to herself, Liv put her phone back into her purse and continued on her way. It was time to check out Santa’s village.

 

** MONDAY **

“Olivia Benson.”

Liv stopped when she heard her name. She was walking and texting, something she shouldn’t have been doing in the first place but there was rarely time to do one thing at once in her life. The voice was familiar, like a hot knife to butter…and her stomach. She didn’t even want to turn around but she did.

“David? What are you doing here?”

David Haden was standing a few feet away, looking very attractive in a dark gray suit. He slipped his hands into his pockets and walked closer to her.

“I'm working.” He said. “You look amazing.”

“I look like I'm running off five hours sleep.” Liv smiled, it was self-deprecating. She looked exhausted, and if she didn’t then at least she felt that way. And here was David Haden looking like he just stepped out of the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad.

“Sleep deprivation doesn’t look as good on anyone else I bet.”

“I heard you were with Homeland Security now.”

After another law enforcement scandal rocked New York State, focusing on the Public Integrity office, David Haden resigned his Executive ADA position. He wasn’t implicated in the scandal but at least 3 people under him were. He was embarrassed and so were his bosses. It was best to walk away before you were asked to leave. It was better than sticking around too long and left holding a very shitty bag. David had made connections over the years in New York. It was enough to help him land on his feet despite all that happened.

“I work out of DC now.” He replied. “But I travel to New York, Jersey, Philly and Baltimore a couple of times a month. I kinda like being a journeyman.”

“It sounds more like a man without a home.” Liv said.

“Now you sound like my wife.”

“You're married?” she hoped her throat didn’t squeak as it had suddenly gone dry. 

It hadn’t been very long since the two of them were dating. They tried not to get serious, and for a while that worked. Then they were a little serious and then the relationship was over. Liv didn’t even call it a relationship. It was another secret she put in a box in the back of her closet and the back of her brain. But he was married now.

“Rarely leave home without it.” David held up his left hand and showed his ring finger. “A year and a half now. We met at a party that I didn’t even want to attend.”

“Doesn’t it just happen that way?” Liv asked, putting on a smile.

“I think it usually does.” He smiled too. “What about you, are you still with SVU?”

“I'm a lieutenant now, running the squad.”

“Get out of here. That’s great news…you're a damn good cop.”

“Thank you. I'm also a mom.”

She wanted to throw that in, Liv wanted to show that her life had gone on as well. No she wasn’t married and living in some DC or Northern Virginia condo or overpriced house. But her life wasn’t bad. Her life was good as a matter of fact, the best it had ever been.

“Oh wow, that’s wonderful. I'm so glad to hear that, Olivia. Boy or girl?”

“A little boy, he's almost two.”

“OK, on the count of three we’ll pull out pictures. I've got a seven month old little girl. We might be able to work out a meeting of the minds in the near future.”

Olivia pulled up her photos on her phone, feeling more comfortable with Noah as the subject matter. The two switched iPhones and went through a barrage of pictures of adorable children. David’s wife was beautiful; she looked like the kind of woman that would be married to a man like him.

“What's her name?” Liv asked as she gave his phone back.

“Madeleine Jana Haden. My wife insisted on naming her after the first female Secretary of State. She works for the State Department.”

“I like it. My little one is Noah Porter.”

“He's a looker, Liv. I see mischief in those big, blue eyes.”

“He's got it by the ton.” She said.

“I hate to cut this short but I do need to get going. I'm in town until Wednesday. I know how busy you are but I would love if we could have a beer, maybe catch up.”

“This is the wrong week. The holidays are always short-staffed and we’re even shorter than usual this year. I wish I could but…”

“It’s alright.” David nodded. “I'm sure I’ll be back through in the New Year. I don’t know if it’s the best idea to stop by the precinct but I can hang out in the hallways over here. I have no doubt I’ll run into you sooner rather than later. It was really good to see you.”

“You too, David.”

“Should we um…should we shake hands? Hug? I'm not really sure how to say goodbye.”

Liv smiled and leaned in for a hug. It was awkward and blessedly brief. She gave a goodbye nod and made her way down the stairs and out of the courthouse. It was only when she was outside in the fresh air that Liv was able to breathe. Things like this always happened around the holidays. For there to be approximately 8 million people in the 5 boroughs, you were bound to run into an ex in the city.

 

** TUESDAY **

“You're lucky that I don’t punch you in the face.”

“I didn’t beg you to come, Liv.”

“Oh really?”

“Look,” Dean sighed. “I need your help.”

“You're a criminal, Dean. The FBI might not believe it, or maybe they just don’t care, but I know different.”

“I was cleared of all charges…someone was trying to set me up. I've made my share of enemies over years in the Bureau.”

“I know you didn’t call me here to state your case. I haven’t seen you in years and I liked it that way.”

“We have our eyes on a trafficker and believe Manhattan is her next stop. She's either here already or on her way.”

“Good luck.” Liv went to walk away.

What had she been thinking agreeing to see Special Agent Dean Porter? During their last encounter he was about to be interrogated by superiors for being involved in the rape of a woman involved with a Colombian drug cartel. A lot of evidence was pointing to him though there were always those who came to his defense. Liv couldn’t trust him and she learned that the hard way. She was never going to open herself up to something like that again. Yet here she was.

“Since when don’t you care if the women in this city are safe?’ Dean asked. “You're going to let your hatred for me stop you from doing your job.”

“You have no right to tell me anything about doing my job.” She pointed at him. “If and when it comes across my desk then I will handle it. I'm not going to be working with you and if you ever call me again Dean…”

“I didn’t do it Liv; I was set up.”

“So you waited five years to come and defend yourself? You need my help Dean, that’s why you're here. I never knew you and that’s fine with me but you definitely didn’t know me if you think I'm going to help you now. Professionally, I’ll do what I have to when the time comes. Until then, drop dead. I really mean that. I usually don’t mean it but I mean it.”

“If I still bring up such emotion in you Liv, there has to be a reason.”

“There's a reason for everything.” She replied. “I won't bother to pretend that you didn’t hurt me because you did. I won't pretend there wasn’t a time when I maybe had feelings for you. That was a lifetime ago. It’s a time so far gone that it no longer matters. The difference between us is I can admit my truths. You’ve always been running from yours. You're bound to pull a hamstring one of these days.”

“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that if my team works this case that you won't have to deal with me.” Dean said.

“You really will do anything for a thank you, won't you? Goodbye, Dean.”

“Merry Christmas, Liv.”

She didn’t bother to respond as she walked away. She wanted to tell him not to call her Liv, he wasn’t allowed that intimacy with her. But men like him never listened anyway. If it made him feel better about the whole thing then he was going to do it. She didn’t hate a lot of people but she hated Dean Porter. 

To Liv he had been one of the good guys. She could trust him and yes, she had really liked him. He turned out to be evil. She would always believe that even if the FBI thought different. 

Sometimes when men went too far, professionally or personally, pissing Liv off or upsetting her, Fin would offer to kick their asses. Tonight she was so tempted to call him and tell him where Special Agent Dean Porter was staying. Instead she would walk a few blocks in the almost chilly rain. Maybe that would wash some of the stench off of her.

 

** WEDNESDAY **

“Hey.”

Brian stood as Olivia walked toward him. Calling McClendon’s Pub a dive was an overstatement but they always had cold beer, strong brown liquors, and some of the best burgers and fries that Olivia had ever eaten. She hugged Brian, sat across from him, and was happy to hear that he'd ordered her some dinner. 

“I'm really glad you could meet me, Liv.”

“I'm just wanted to see you. What is that on your face?” she smiled while pointing to the beard.

“I'm growing it for work. How’s Noah?”

“He's doing really well. He's excited about Christmas…well, I think he's excited. I'm excited. This weekend we went out and got a nice tree and he put his ornaments on it.”

“You stuffed a tree into that apartment?” Brian asked, smiling some.

“Its five feet tall and I had to move a few things around but yes, I did. Kids love Christmas trees and I love my kid.”

“We were poor as hell when I was coming up, usually got one present apiece. But putting up that tree every year was an event no matter what. My mother made sure of that.”

“My mother was a very complicated woman.” Liv said.

“I know.” He reached across the table and rubbed her hand as her dinner and beer arrived. “At least you're going to make some new mom memories with Noah.”

“I'm looking forward to every moment of it. I'm also looking forward to losing all decorum as I eat this burger.”

“It’s me, Liv. You don’t need any decorum.”

“Thanks.” She smiled. “So what's up? It’s been a while since I've heard from you but I know you’ve been working. I worry sometimes but I don’t want to interfere. I know that no matter what, if something happened to you Ed Tucker would let me know.”

“Please don’t tell me you're close to him.” Cassidy rolled his eyes. IAB wasn’t as bad as he imagined it would be, and neither was Ed Tucker, but that didn’t mean he wanted his former girlfriend cuddling up with the grizzled veteran cop.

“Ed and I have known each other for a long time, though we’re usually on opposite sides of the table. We both have called in some markers over the recent years and have a begrudging respect for each other. Tucker is a pain is the ass but he's a damn good cop. You didn’t call me here to tell me otherwise, did you? C'mon Brian, I've had a long week…don’t do that to me.”

“No, Tucker is still a pain in the ass good cop. This is about me.”

“Are you alright?” Liv bit into her burger. They were as good as she remembered. How many Sunday afternoons had she spent there with Brian, some random Wednesday evenings too, being the good girlfriend and watching whatever sports were on the TV.

“I um…” Cassidy sighed as he put a box on the table top. It was 4x6, black metal with a lock; the key taped underneath. “I can be a real idiot sometimes, which you already know. I can be reckless and even irresponsible. 

“There was one thing my old man taught me, as much with action as inaction…have your affairs in order. I'm going undercover again and the case is very delicate and likely dangerous. I'm ready but if something happens to me I need to know that my affairs are in order.” He pushed the box toward Liv. “These are my affairs.”

Liv looked at it and nearly lost her appetite. If she had eaten anything since lunch she was sure she wouldn’t have been able to go on. But her growling stomach demanded just a bit more attention than Brian’s news. She took another bite of the burger as she tried to figure out what to say next.

“It’s important stuff, Liv. The key to my safety deposit box is in there. So are my life insurance papers and information about my police pension and 401K or whatever the hell it’s called. My car keys and a letter for my mom and sister and nephew. 

“Something for you is in there but I don’t want you opening this unless Tucker tells you that I’m dead. I'm sorry to be so straightforward but there's no other way to be. I'm not as close as I would like with my family and even if I was, I don’t know if I could trust them with this. I can trust you to keep a level head and handle it.”

“You trust me to keep a level head if you die?” Liv asked, sipping her beer.

“I expect you would mourn…walk by a big screen TV attached to a wall and shed a few tears for me.” Brian smirked. “I'm sorry to drop all of this on you, I just don’t know how long this assignment will be and I'm starting tomorrow.”

“OK.” She nodded. 

If there was one thing to mourn it was that Brian wasn’t going to get a Christmas. Many people in their line of work didn’t. Cops were usually good to one another, the childless officers and detectives would take shifts for the ones with kids. Someone’s mom or aunt or foster nana would always show up at the one six with a turkey and all the fixings. Cops were family. They had the good ones, the shitty ones, the lazy ones, and all the regular ones in between just trying to survive. Never a shitty cop, there were still times when Olivia wondered just where Cassidy fell into the big NYPD pot.

“So you'll do this for me?” he asked.

“I’ll take care of anything you need me to take care of.”

“I appreciate it, Liv. I know you have your own life and it’s pretty busy. I apologize for coming and bulldozing all over your holiday cheer.”

“You didn’t.” Liv lied, shaking her head. “I'm glad we could see each other one more time before you left. Thank you for trusting me with your personal things.”

“I love you, Olivia Benson. Maybe you'll always be the one that got away. I'm probably just not good enough for a girl like you but for a brief moment in time, you were mine. It was good.”

“It was really good.” She squeezed his hand. “You kept my head above water. I wouldn’t be where I am now if you hadn’t been there to help me then. I’ll always love you and you know that.”

“I gotta go.” Brian grabbed his leather jacket though it was nowhere near cold outside.

“Please be safe out there.”

He nodded, standing up from the booth. He walked over to her and kissed her cheek. It was hard to do this but it had to be done. Anything could happen to him out there…he needed someone to have his back. Maybe it wasn’t fair to put it all on Olivia but she was one of the most responsible people he knew.

“Merry Christmas, Liv.”

“Merry Christmas.”

She was only able to finish half of her meal but all of her beer. She didn’t want Brian’s personal effects, not because she wasn’t able to take care of what he needed. She was just sick thinking about a day coming when she would have to. Undercover work was always dangerous and sometimes cops fell through the cracks. Brian working with Internal Affairs meant he was dealing with shady cops. 

Shady people were bad enough; shady cops gave Olivia nightmares. Sighing, she put the metal box into her satchel purse. This wasn’t going away so she would deal with it. Not tonight though, tonight she would go home and spend some time with her son. Maybe the Hallmark Channel would be playing a Christmas movie that she could immerse herself in. 

Flagging the barmaid, Olivia found out the bill was already paid. Of course it was. She grabbed her bag and left the bar. It was starting to rain, had been for most of the week. This weather fit the mood that was falling over her. 

No, the sadness couldn’t have her. Christmastime was never easy but this was the second year she had the most awesome little elf in her life. Liv would do it for Noah. She would do anything for Noah.

 

** THURSDAY **

“We’re going to watch it again.” Liv said laughing. “I think you wanna watch it again, don’t you?”

Noah nodded, taking the big sugar cookie that his mother offered him. This would be the third time they watched Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas today. It had actually been a perfect day; Liv was off for the first Christmas Eve in over 5 years. That morning Noah woke up early but she brought him to bed with her and they had a morning nap. She made a pancake breakfast with her son, watched Christmas cartoons, and danced to some of the best Christmas music ever made. 

Noah loved Wham. He wasn’t fond of Paul McCartney but sat mesmerized whenever Stevie Wonder or Nat King Cole were on. And the Wall of Sound turned his whole little world upside down. Nothing was ever so awesome as watching Christmas Eve through her son’s eyes.

She was taking The Grinch DVD back to the beginning when someone knocked on her door. Liv looked at Noah and he looked back at her, crumbs all over his Christmas overalls. Yes she was one of those parents who dressed her child festively for the holidays. Earlier Liv even managed to get pictures of him in reindeer antlers.

“Who could that be on Christmas Eve?” she asked. “It’s a little early for Santa, and he always comes through the chimney. Mommy’s gonna check it out, you sit right here bud.”

Noah was content with his cookie. Liv walked across the room and looked out the peephole. Gasping, she rushed to open the door.

“Oh my god, what are you doing here?”

“Feliz Navidad.” Rafael was standing on the other side of the door. He had two big shopping bags and an umbrella since it had been raining steady since yesterday.

“Come in here,” Liv reached out and pulled him by his wrist. “Come in here so I can hug you.”

She threw her arms around him and they stood there in her door way holding each other. Well, Rafael was still holding his bags and his umbrella. He didn’t want to drop anything on the floor.

“I'm sorry I can't reciprocate at the moment.” He mumbled, his face pressed into her shoulder inhaling her scent. Damn, she really did smell like home.

“It’s OK, it’s totally OK.” Liv finally let him go. “I'm glad you're here. I thought you were in Savannah with your family. You texted me from Savannah this morning.”

Late that morning Liv got a text message from Rafael. It was a picture message of a drawing his nieces made for his friend Olivia the Cop. ‘Sorry you're shooting a Christmas tree but Rosemarie and Malia said I better wish you a Merry Christmas and show you their picture. Merry Christmas Eve’.

“I was in the airport when I sent the text. I got back to the city around noon and spent my afternoon wrapping presents and baking some cookies.”

“You didn’t bring me cookies?” Olivia closed and locked her door, she and Rafael walked into the living room.

“I ate the cookies…wrapping gifts is hard work. Hey Noah!”

“Barpa.” Noah tried to hand him the last bit of his sugar cookie.

Rafael sat down on the couch and pulled the toddler into his lap for a hug and kiss. This time he didn’t have to worry about Noah messing up his work clothes. Rafael was dressed casually in blue jeans and a cream colored Polo sweater. It was too warm for the sweater but he liked it so much that he put it on anyway. The weather was rainy and humid as hell. It felt closer to Memorial Day than Christmas.

“I thought you would be in Savannah until at least the 28th.” Liv joined them on the couch. She eyed the bags but had no idea what was in them. No doubt it was more toys and games for Noah. Her friends had gone above and beyond this year with gifts.

“Well you know that I flew out the 21st with mom.” Rafael said as he ate the piece of cookie that Noah gave to him. “I had a great time; it’s always good to be with my sister. I just...I missed home. I missed New York and the hustle and bustle and…” he sighed. “I missed you and Noah. I wanted to spend Christmas with you, Liv. It’s a bit unconventional but I really wanted to.”

“What's so unconventional about it?” she stroked Noah’s hair as he relaxed in Rafael’s lap. “Friends spend holidays together all the time.”

“I may have gone overboard on the presents.” He looked down at his bags.

“Noah will be delighted, don’t worry. I know it’s possible to go overboard with children but I can hardly help myself either.”

“I didn’t just shop for Noah.”

“You bought me presents?” she asked.

“Of course I did. Don’t embarrass me, OK?”

“I'm not going to embarrass you, I promise. I'm so glad you're here. You wouldn’t believe the week I had…it was insane and I wanted to tell you all about it but you were far away.”

“I'm always available.” Rafael said. “Whenever you want to talk then I want to listen, Liv. That’s a promise. I flew 700 miles because the sound of your voice is better in person than it is over the phone.”

Smiling, Liv caressed his face. He was here, and she and Noah didn’t have to be alone on Christmas. She and her son were going to have a great evening and day tomorrow no matter what, but having Rafael there would only make it better. How she was going to tell him that, Liv really had no idea. They were such good friends, the best of friends, but there had been things this year that strained that relationship. 

Olivia didn’t want to have to choose between the NYPD and Barba. Most of the time they were on the same side. The times when they weren't, Liv was going to have to breathe deep and deal with it. Rafael was just as dedicated to his job as she was. They would clash sometimes but his being in her life made Liv better. It made Liv happy.

“I'm going to kiss you now.” She said, their faces close together.

“I didn’t even bring any mistletoe.”

“You don’t need it.” Liv shook her head.

“I was going to bring it though, as an excuse to kiss you.” Rafael smiled. “I only needed an excuse the first time. I needed something to help me get close.”

She pressed her lips against his for just a moment. Liv wanted a real kiss and she wasn’t afraid to go in for one. Well, she had been afraid for over a year but wasn’t anymore. Rafael had flown 700 miles, left his family at Christmastime to be with her and Noah. For so long Liv had been looking for signs. 

She had tried to stop feeling what she thought she might be feeling. She told herself that it was almost certain that Rafael loved her. But it was even more certain it was friendship. Just because they were a man and woman working together and everyone thought they were “close” didn’t mean there had to be anything romantic between them. Their friendship was a source of comfort for her; it had been for a long time. 

Except Liv knew she wanted more than friendship. She didn’t know how to bring it up, and with all that happened in the past few months she wasn’t sure if it was meant to be. Then Rafael showed up at her front door. All she had endured this week from men in her past, both good and bad, this was a great note to end it on.

“I love you.” She whispered, kissing him once more with passion.

“I love you too. I love you, love you, Olivia. What are we going to do about that?”

“Well I know we’re going to have to watch The Grinch again since I'm blocking Noah’s view of the television.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Rafael glanced down at Noah in his lap. The toddler was half asleep, cookie crumbs everywhere as he tried to take in as much Dr. Seuss as he could consume.

“We’ll put Noah to bed in a little while.” Liv stroked her hand over the side of his hair. She loved his hair and never wanted to stop touching it. “Then I’ll make some coffee and we’ll find a ridiculously romantic movie to watch while cuddling on the couch. 

“I'm going to open one gift because I'm dying to know what you got me. You're going to open one of mine since I don’t have to wait until Monday to give it you. Then we’ll go to bed so that Santa won't skip over the house. We’ll make love because we won't be able to help ourselves. And in the morning you'll make breakfast.”

“A lot of people don’t know this, but I make a damn fine French toast.” He didn’t know how he was still talking since his mind was blown but he was. 

Rafael was thinking about asking her to repeat everything she just said but he heard her loud and clear. It was just going to take some time to process the enormity of it. She wanted this just as much as he did. Why had he waited so long to make his move? Why hadn’t he even made his move tonight? Olivia pulled him right over the cliff with her, all he could do was close his eyes and fall.

“I love French toast. I love you.”

“So are we going to watch Lifetime or The Hallmark Channel?” Rafael asked.

“We could skip the movie altogether and do coffee then bed. I didn’t want to seem too eager but…”

“It’s Christmas Eve, Liv,” he kissed her. “I think we’re both allowed to indulge in our wishes tonight.”

***


End file.
